The Bakery Phenomena
by gingercumberbabies
Summary: Why is it that in a world so full and large, two people can find each other and yet destroy themselves at the same time? Where did this destruction begin?: The Heart... OOC, R&R! Rating may change! :D M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

HI AGAIN! Sorry about the long delay on Shirts and the Congratulations Experience, I had some major writers block. But I have so many ideas right now that it is seriously driving me crazy. I have to write these before they run away! HAHA. OK, but seriously, here is a little Shenny story, very different than the show, but I just love these two! :D

Rating:T

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!

The shades were drawn up fast, light going on in the window. She stepped away from the counter to look at the rising sun. It was a clear day, reminiscent of the day she arrived in Pasedena. The brisk morning air hit her hard as she stepped out to set up the specials sign. She could appreciate now the sound of cars thrumming past a street over, the dull roar of a motorcycle somewhere down the road. She was thankful that most of it didn't come her way though.

Soft music filled her ears when she entered back into the bakery. It helped her stay awake during early hours. A timer sounded from the back, a reminder to check her muffins before they were burned. She passed the large window at the front of the store and hurried to the kitchen. They came out perfectly, fortunately, and were placed strategically on the counter and in the rack of the displaying case.

As soon as one batch was done, something else had to go in, lest she get behind during the day.

She set down her head on the counter top for a moment, fatigue rolling through her body. Sleep, that was what she needed. All she wanted to do was take a little nap, time to think, relax.

When had this hobby job taken over her entire life? She loved it, couldn't deny that it was the best thing in her life, but she'd barely been social in months. Lost her interest in dating; they always end up broken in the end anyway.

The beep from the oven takes her out of her idle state.

"No rest for the wicked," she mumbles to herself as she steps into the kitchen yet again.

Ł

"How about Thai food?"

"Its not Monday."

She paused for a moment, thought seeming a herculean task for her.

"Pizza?"

"No."

He was making it difficult, he knew he was, but what other things were there to say? He'd already told her that he wasn't hungry, and yet she continued to bombard him with meaningless suggestions. Why were they even walking in east Pasadena?

He looks to his companion, much shorter than he with light auburn hair and hazel eyes. She wasn't beautiful, not even pretty per say, but for whatever reason, he had made her his fiancé. His stomach turned in an unpleasant way as if questioning his actions. He was homo novus, he couldn't fall in love, too evolved for it. No, he knew it wasn't that, it had been for another reason entirely. His career was resolutely declining in the state he was in. Some suggested a break, he would not hear of it. His boss suggested he try and get a girl, someone to settle down with, take his mind off the miscellaneous pressures of life. At the time it had seemed a good idea, but he found now that maybe he had conducted it wrong. She did not remove stress, if anything, she contributed to it.

His friends thought it a great idea, especially Leonard. With Sheldon out of the house, he would have the place all to himself.

He would be lying if he said that he hated her though, because he didn't. She was not his intellectual equal, oh not even close! but she did add something to his life, a sort of springy joy when the day was right. They had been friends for a long time but never really close until more recently.

He smiled a bit, half forced to reassure himself, and half genuine, content grin.

They continued to walk down the streets of Pasedena in hopes of finding a place to eat; by that time he was a bit hungry. The streets were bland and dull, color seeming to have been drained from the city. All around him were grey buildings, below him the concrete, to his right the blacktop; a dull world indeed.

They continued walking until Tracy's incessant blabber had become overwhelming. He just about yelled at her to shut up for once, but out of the corner of his eye, the first true color of his life hit him. Rich, tan skin, blonde curls, an orange camisole, and a strange little orange flower entwined in those beautiful blonde locks.

He paused instantly, not meaning to stare, but that ended up being what it was anyway. She entranced him, overwhelmed his senses even if she were across the street inside a building. She walked with a skip in her step, true happiness filling the air around her, but a sense of lonliness he could feel even from the distance. He knew he had been staring far too long, but he could tear his eyes away. Something about him seemed to awaken for the first time, so overwhelming that he was almost unstable. He considered himself ridiculous for feeling so, yet he somehow didn't care what he thought. That was just as ridiculous as the feeling, he always cared what he thought, what was differnet now?

He looked away for a moment, his eyes traveling up to the sing infront of the store. It read: 'Penny's Cottage'. He took in the surroundings, the cakery a standout to all the bland buildings around it, being much smaller and a lot brighter.

"Sheldon?" he heard from a place seeming far in the distance, "Are you alright? We should go now."

Tracy tugged at his sleeve, completely oblivious of the thoughts running through his mind at that moment in time.

A/N: ahh, so another story has begun. I am very excited, the Big Bang fics have almost reached 1,000! But there is no rushing, art comes with time. SO please R&R, tell me what you think! LOVE YOU ALL! BYE! 3 :D


	2. Chapter 2

** HI AGAIN! Sorry about the long delay on this, but I have been busy lately. Tell me what you think! :D Oh yea, about this chapter… It just sorta ended up.. well it ended up the way it did… I don't even know! Haha**

He walked down the street with Tracy for a few minutes, the wind brushing his face and chilling him a bit. His mind buzzed with a single image that he'd witnessed for only a moment before it had vanished. What was the strange attraction he felt for this woman in the bakery? He didn't know her, had never seen her before in his life, but he felt he knew her completely. If someone asked who she was, he could say everything as if rehearsed a million times over in his mind. He could tell them the exact angle of her smile, the curve of her, the tone of her voice.

"Sheldon?" Tracy looked up at him, eyebrows raised.

"Huh?" he mumbled as he was jerked out of his thoughts.

The apartment doors stood before him. Had they really traveled there so fast? He looked around and found the sun was already setting in a haze of orange and pink. He walked up the dusty blue stairs to his apartment, saying goodnight to Tracy before he went.

Sheldon felt slightly dazed, thoughts running through his mind that he really didn't analyze, just let them run their course. He thought of his family, his friends, his work. He thought last of Tracy, how well his life was with her even if it was a strain sometimes. That was how it was supposed to be, right? Calm and normal. But it didn't feel _good_. Wasn't it supposed to feel good? He wanted to feel that, that overwhelming feeling that you got in your tummy whenever you saw someone. He'd researched it, thought it unreliable and childish, but was still interested. Tracy made him feel… normal, but not _good_.

Through all his thinking he never even noticed that he was getting into bed until sleep found him and claimed his thoughts to be embellished in sweet dreams…

Ł

He stood at the door of a strange place, not much detail, just the simple outline of a room. He'd been here before, why did this look so familiar. He took a step, his clothes undefined, just a haze covering his body. His face looked different, stronger, more muscular. Suddenly the door to the blank room opened without a sound, and something stepped inside. In that moment he realized where he was. He was in his dream place, he came here often; he knew what would happen next.

A woman would enter, her face blank but her curves plentiful. This would be one of those dreams, he knew, one where he would release his stress into a strange woman he didn't give a face.

But what shocked him was what his dream-self created. A blonde woman with bright, emerald eyes entered and came up to him shyly, worrying her lip between her teeth. He took a step toward her, his arm instantly on her hip. She moved away slightly and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. This wasn't right, this was wrong. He didn't even know her.

Guilt over took him and he woke with a start, his dream fading with the brisk air of morning…

Ł

Penny's head rested on the counter, a pool forming under her head. The shop was filled with a rumbling noise, deep breathing in between. Her knees buckled underneath her as her weight became heavy. She leaned heavier on the counter until her arm hung over the edge. She was definitely a sight to see as she lay asleep at 6:30 in the morning in her bakery.

The bell on the door chimed lightly and a stranger entered dressed brightly. He walked up to the counter cautiously but with a curious expression on his face. Noticing the girl snoring on the counter, he couldn't help but smile. Looking around, he noticed how empty the shop was. He knew it was early but he would have thought at least someone would be there. Cautiously he reached out his hand, lightly tapping her on the shoulder. Still she snored on the countertop, drool accumulating by her mouth.

Sheldon stared for a moment. The woman he had seen from across the street 2 days ago now lay asleep with her face oblong on a counter. He considered how unsanitary it was for her to be drooling in her store, but apparently his mind was going to ignore that little bit of information because there he was standing in front of her, touching her, trying to wake her up.

She snorted slightly and stiffened her shoulders. Slowly, she pushed of the counter and yawned, opening her eyes once she was standing. It took her a moment to see straight and understand where she was, light from the windows blinded her for an instant. Finally she looked in front of her and saw a tall man staring at her… in fascination? If she was reading his face right, he was somewhat amused and curious.

She looked back at him confusedly for a moment until she realized what had really happened. Her eyes drifted down to the counter, embarrassment flooded through her when she saw the puddle of drool. She raced to get a paper towel and some disinfectant, much to Sheldon's relief, and began to talk in a jittery voice.

"Hi, I'm Penny," she said with her back turned, "I'm so sorry you saw me like that! Really, that was not one of my best moments." He was silent the whole time; he watched as she bent down to get disinfectant from a cabinet below her sink.

Sheldon looked away quickly as a thong showed when she bent over. He began to go through the periodic table in alphabetical order waiting for her to turn around.

"So what would you like?" her voice was more relieved once she had cleaned up the mess and fixed her hair.

Sheldon turned back to her and smiled shyly at her.

"Hi."

Penny smiled and cocked her head to the side.

"Hi," she said back.

"Hi."

Penny laughed and through her head back.

"What would you like Mr…"

"Sheldon," he said.

"Sheldon… Sheldon what?"

"That's my name."

"Yes," she said as if speaking to a small child.

"Oh," he breathed, "Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon Lee Cooper."

"Alright. Well, now that we know each others' names, would you like something." She smiled warmly and bounced on her heals a bit.

"Dr."

"What?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper Ph.D.," he said, a bit behind in the conversation.

"Oo! A doctor! What kind of doctor?"

"I'm a theoretical physicist studying string theory as a massive inclusion in the big bang."

"…Oh."

Sheldon smiled again and tried to avoid her eyes, green and shining.

"I don't know much about physics, but it has always sounded fascinating. So are you a professor then?"

Sheldon paused for a moment to get his thoughts together. Why was his mind so blank all of a sudden.

"Awesome," he blurted. The word shocked him even before it had fully escaped his mouth. Since when did he say awesome?

"Huh?" she said.

Shaking his head a bit he realized what she had asked.

"Oh, yes, I am a professor, but mostly I do work in my office."

"That's cool. I might have to take classes sometime. Where is it you work?"

"Caltech."

"Nice! Heard that's a pretty prestigious place."

Sheldon sniggered. Prestigious? Absurd!

"Well, what can I get for you?'

Sheldon bounced on his toes for a moment before he noticed how long he had lingered in the store talking to her. His plan had been to only come in for a few minutes just to see her up close and then leave with some sort of pastry, but it had been nearly 20 minutes, far too long for a casual visit to a store.

"Ah, do you have any peach cobbler?" he mumbled.

"Oh yeah! It's my favorite! I always make an extra for myself. Wanna slice?"

"Mmhm."

"I'll take that as a yes," she jittered.

Penny went to the kitchen and grabbed out a peach cobbler she had forgotten to put out in the display cabinet. With a few quick cuts she had him a piece in a cute little container with flowers and kittens. When she handed it to him, he grinned at the little images on it. Unique.

"How much?" he asked as she turned and closed the door to the kitchen.

"On the house," she cheered, her hand flying up into the air and waving off his question.

He smiled slightly and took an unwilling step towards the front door. He knew he had to go, at least right then, but it felt like being torn away.

"Buh-bye!" she sing-songed.

"Goodbye."

"Hey wait," she said just as his foot hit the threshold, "what's your name?"

"Sheldon. I told you that already."

Penny smiled and tapped her fingers on the counter.

"Yeah, I know. Bye Mr. Scientist."

Sheldon stepped out into the open air of the morning. His face felt hot in the cold air, and one touch he could tell it was. His heart pounded in his chest all the way to work that morning, and by lunch, he was pretty sure it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

**AN: OK! So here is another chapter of this, M is in the later chapters, so yea. Thanks for readin! REVIEWWWW! :D Tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow…You know what the first thing I'm going to say is I AM SO SORRY! Sorry it took SO LONG for me to update this, but honestly I kinda gave up on this one until today and now I really want to finish it! Thanks for not giving up on me if you are reading this! Don't hate me too much! Writers block, ya know? Any ways, here is the next chapter **

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

He could tell someone was watching him, had known for at least 3 and a half minutes, but refused to look up from his work. It was far more important than the man at his office door. Why didn't he just knock? Imbecile.

"Sheldon?" came the small voice from his opened door.

"What?"

The man leaning in his door frame was taken slightly aback by Sheldon's clipped tone.

"You were 15 minutes late to work this morning," he said, timid tone fading with the words he spoke.

"I know, Leonard, I do in fact have an understanding of the progression of time. Was that really why you decided to interrupt my work? How pointless," Sheldon finally looked up at his roommate as he finished his words.

Entering the office more, Leonard moved to pick up the box on his friend's desk. "Well, no," he continued, "I also wanted to ask why you have a box with pink kittens and stuff on it. Going through a phase?"

Sheldon shot Leonard a withering glance as he returned to his work. "No, I stopped to get some peach cobbler at a bakery this morning, this is the package it was placed in when I received it," he stated nonchalantly.

"Oh."

There was an uncomfortable pause, causing Sheldon to look up, aggravated once again. "Is that all, Dr. Hofstadter?"

"Why are you blushing?" Leonard smirked slightly as he saw embarrassment flood his friend's face. What was wrong with him? Not that he was complaining, he actually found it hilarious, but he had no idea why bringing up a pink pastry box would make Sheldon's face light up so.

"No reason. Please leave now, I actually have important work to do, unlike_ some_ people."

Leonard's smirk instantly evaporated as he began to sulk out of the office back to his lab. His work was important too, dammit!

"Close the door on your way out."

If Sheldon had been listening, or cared, he might have heard Leonard mumble something about a laser and dams. Whatever, he had more puzzling things to think about. What was it about this woman that made him blood hot? He barely had to think about her and his face heated and reddened! Damn Leonard for bringing her up… even if it was indirectly. Perhaps he'd have to put string theory aside briefly; the mystery of this woman, this 'Penny', was _far_ more interesting at the moment.

Sheldon found himself very fascinated with his mental images of her from earlier in the day. He wondered what it would be like to see her asleep but instead of on a counter, on his chest, sleep easily claiming both of them as they listened to the other's breath and felt each other's heart beating beneath bare skin. Where did_ that_ thought come from? Feeling his temperature rise again, Sheldon decided to push that image aside and think about this woman at least fully clothed. It wouldn't be great if his boss came in to find him completely flustered and red faced, unable to get up from behind the safety of his desk that hid the physical evidence of his infatuation.

"Oh my," Sheldon mumbled to himself, "this may be a problem, indeed."

**A/N: So… Yeah! I've already got the next chapter or two nearly done, so I'm glad to say this story will be continued Also, I think the overall rating of this may be turned to a **_**T**_**, I just don't really feel like writing anything s**_**M**_**utty for this story, I'll keep it sweet and fluffy, and angsty of course ;) Enjoy! R&R!~ love you! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we go, another chapter! Enjoy! I'm really starting to get into the swing of this story, I'm on a roll! **

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: I own NONE of this (sadly)**

Something about that guy that had come in brightened her day a little. He had been so fantastically awkward that it was cute. Very cute. She wondered if he'd come back again or if it had been a onetime visit. She didn't get many customers, but she hoped he would be a regular. Of course, if he did she would have to stop giving him free food. Thinking back, she wasn't quite sure why she gave him the cobbler for free anyway; she could really use the money. Maybe it was because he was sweet. And a little bit handsome.

"Whoa!" she said to herself, "Careful, Penny, you know how guys are. Stick to your baking."

A few months ago, Penny had encountered a really nice, _very hot_, guy at a bar. He'd made the first move, chatting her up, making small talk, the usual. The more they talked, the more she liked him; he was gentle, sweet, nice, and a bit dangerous. She liked dangerous, though she knew she shouldn't. After that, they went on a few dates, each one progressively better, especially since he didn't try any funny business. But eventually, on about their fourth date, he'd dropped the bombshell.

Her lip curled into a grizzly sneer as she recalled the memory.

Coming back from the restroom of the club they were at, she found him talking to another woman, carefully dressed so you could tell exactly what she was after. Penny could vaguely sense what was coming as she approached the table. Her date's arm was draped carelessly over the woman's shoulders and his smile was so…_disgusting._ That's the only way she could describe it.

"So you're with her now, huh? I see how it is," Penny didn't even have to emotional energy to be very angry; she'd had this before and every time she felt less and less shock and more pure hurt and disappointment.

"No, no, babe! That's not it! Here's the deal, you me, and her. We go back to my place, have a little fun, you know? It'll be fun, come on babe!" His words slapped her in the face. Did he really think she'd be _okay_ with this?

Penny didn't even speak; she didn't have any pride left to defend, so she grabbed her bag and left without another word. She could hear his lame apologies as she walked to the exit; his absurd pleadings of "Stay!" and "Come on baby, you're over reacting!" just bounced off her as she left and headed home. Only when she got to her couch did she allow herself to cry.

Was every guy the same? Did no one want to actually make her happy and love her? That was the day she decided to forget guys and do what made her happy. She started making her Penny Blossoms again, she started painting in her spare time, and she started baking when she got home from work. After she'd saved enough money, she decided to open her own bakery; she loved baking, why not make a career out of it? She rented a small space, just enough for a little kitchen, some counter space, and a few tables for customers; she got to work as soon as everything was set up; keeping both jobs for the first month or two after the grand opening. She barely got any sleep and definitely had no time to go out clubbing or on dates. After she'd earned enough money at her bakery, which was more of an initial success than she had imagined, she quit her other job and made the hours at her bakery longer. She started adding items to the menu as she had more time to experiment with creations. Spending most of her waking hours baking and serving, she had little time to think about her painful past, even less time to feel hurt and bad about herself. For the first time in a long time, she was happy. She may not have gotten out much, but she felt young again, doing what she loved and giving people fresh, delicious happiness.

The business slowed a little after four months. It was the beginning of summer now, hot weather keeping most people away from hot pie and donuts. As she expanded her items, she decided to include something that the summer wouldn't harm. Ice cream and ice cream cakes were added to the menu, along with smoothies and other cold things. Business picked up little by little, but it had only been about two weeks since she had added the cool treats to her repertoire. She expected more and more customers as the summer progressed.

And then there was that man, the horribly awkward, cute man that had come in earlier that day for some peach cobbler. No one had eaten her peach cobbler besides her in a long time; it made her feel giddy to serve her favorite desert to someone. She didn't know why, but it did. And then he'd stayed far too long, but she didn't mind, no one came in that early and she went a little mad with no one to talk to. She couldn't really describe what she felt when he left, but it was kind of like swallowing a butterfly that slowly puttered around in her stomach until it died and fell up into her throat. It was kind of unpleasant, but she was also happy. God, her emotions were weird.

**A/N: And the story continues! Told you I had more coming R&R Reviews are love!**


End file.
